Keita Muramatsu

President & Chief Executive Officer, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Private Limited

HONDA ARE INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING FROM THE manufacture garden equipment to building robots, and even venturing out into space. In India, however, Honda’s biggest claim to fame is their auto-manufacturing effort, particularly in the two-wheeler world. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) entered the Indian market in 1999 and have not looked back since. In recent years the company has established itself in the upper reaches of success in the Indian bike space, and a lot of credit for this success goes to Keita Muramatsu.

Muramatsu san started his career in sales before moving to the planning space when at Honda. In 1992 he moved back to sales as sales co- ordinator for Montesa Honda in Spain. On his return to Japan in 1997 he took over the reigns of Honda’s global operations and even wore the mantle of Honda Motor Europe (North) GmbH’s (Germany) vice-president. From here he took over as president of Honda Italia Industrial SpA. He has even spent time in Honda’s motor sport venture before arriving here in India and assuming the post of President and CEO, HMSI, as the GM of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).

Recently, Muramatsu san has overseen the assembly and launch of Honda’s popular middleweight sportsbike, the CBR 650F, here in India, the 160- cc naked CB Hornet, and overseeing the Navi project. This quirky and unique scootermonkey bike hybrid was researched and developed in India, and is now produced and sold here as well, all under Muramatsu san’s governance.